O B S T A C L E S

John 11:41

Do you have any teammates or friends who seemed trapped by something?  They may have something blocking their way to great performance in competition.  There may be something that blocks them from knowing freedom in living.  What could you possibly do to remove the obstacle from their paths?

Jesus knew about this and we can read about it in John chapter 11 and verse 41.  It says, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dad man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’”

Jesus’ friend Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days when Jesus returned to town.  Here He says an incredible thing, “Take away the stone.”  Martha complains that the body will smell horribly after four days in a Palestinian grave.  Jesus however had other plans for Lazarus.

As they rolled the stone away, they were removing the obstacle that prevented the crowd from seeing the marvelous thing that God was about to do.  That’s what Jesus could see that no one else could.

What can you do to remove an obstacle for a friend or teammate?  Is there something that God wants to do for your friend that no one can see but you?  How can we pave the way to our friend’s breakthrough?

Let’s do the same in today’s competition.  Let’s make great plays in setting our teammates up to score.  Let’s make the sacrifice that enables our teammates to excel.  Be a great team player today!

Bible Reading Plan:
I Corinthians 2
Psalms 74
Joshua 6-7